100% new at this =\

Yesterday I had adopted a kitten (seems just a few weeks, no more than 5) from these kids trying to help them since they were stray and it just broke my heart. I have only had dogs so I dont know too much about cats\kittens. The first thing i had done was try to feed him so I had given him "special kitty" canned wet food. He ate it right up though, I dont know if it was because he hadnt eaten in days (acted if it was his last meal) or it was good. If anyone can answer these questions I'd be very greatful.

1. Is it ok that he is eating canned wet food, or what should I feed him?
2. I know to have baby wipes to simulate going potty, but how and when should I wipe him?
3. Since he is so tiny and young I dont expect him to use the litter box, but when and how do I get him to?

4. He meows a lot when he has to poop, is something wrong?
5. I know with all babies regular milk is a huge no-no, but is water ok for him? (he dips his mouth in but I dont know if its ok, but I also dont want to dehydrate him)
6. His poop is fairly soft, not watery or diahrea, but its not very solid either, does this mean something is wrong?

So far after he had eaten and napped, he is very playful and interactive (a good sign in my eyes) but as I was feeling him, I had noticed he was very very boney. Ususally that means they are mal-nurished but I was wondering the best way to go about getting him what he needs. I might not know much about cats, but I'm willing to take any advice to be able to give him the care that he needs, and to be sure he is happy.

Thank you for your time reading this, and advice is welcome =)

Tx a lot for adopting and helping him.  Helping also thes kids who wanted to help homeless.

1. Is it ok that he is eating canned wet food, or what should I feed him?

    -Canned wet food is actually usually better than dry cat food. It is easier to make decent wet than decent dry.  If you use good quality wet food it is not very necessary to give especial kitten food.

Normally, kitten food is of higher quality than adult food.
2. I know to have baby wipes to simulate going potty, but how and when should I wipe him?

- If he ates for himself, he probably does his himself too. Or?  They tend to be needy after eating, so then.
3. Since he is so tiny and young I dont expect him to use the litter box, but when and how do I get him to?    - oh, you can begin and try, if you hadnt done so yet.  Have a shallow try where he can easily climb in oand out by himself.  Many uses such aluminium baking trays...  Non clumping litter as long he is kitten (he will prob try and ate some - clumping litter inside is not good)

4. He meows a lot when he has to poop, is something wrong?

- It may be, but quite a lot our forumites tells their kittens meows at pooping. Possibly from the time their mom ate up excesses, so it is a way to tell mom: mom, come, soon it is your duty!
5. I know with all babies regular milk is a huge no-no, but is water ok for him? (he dips his mouth in but I dont know if its ok, but I also dont want to dehydrate him)

- yes, water is very OK!  He shall always have access to fresh water. Now, if he ates almost only wet food, he doesnt need to drink much, if any. But he shall have access.

If you by any reason want to give him something milky for a change perhaps, goat milk is good.

Plain nonsweetened youghurt is also OK.  You can also try low lactose milk.

6. His poop is fairly soft, not watery or diahrea, but its not very solid either, does this mean something is wrong?

- It is OK. "should" firm but not hard, but your description is sounds OK.

The soft MAY be his having worms, but may be entirely natural reasons too.

Good if you get to a vet and have a check up, including deworming and deparasiting. If ex homeless, he probably has some.

Dogs usually dont have problems with cats whom they know belongs to the family. So make sure he has yours, familys, and dogs scents on him, and the dogs understands he is on your protection, belonging.

But I would recommend you held them apart for a while, during the time you do this vet check up, etc...

Helping these in need is grand, but it is not necessary to risk your residents, even if  the contagions goes only very limited crosswise cats - dogs, and practically not at all cats - humans..

Welcome to our Forums!

 Good luck!

Lots of good advice from Stefan, and do take worming seriously - worms can be a big problem for kittens, as for puppies.  If he is boney he is underweight which again can go with worms.  Let him eat as much as he wants and he will soon put weight on.  A healthy kitten is very slightly plump, and feels solid and surprisingly heavy for it's size.

Kittens have an instinct to scratch in a litter tray, so pop him in whenever he gives the 'poo' call and also any other time you see signs of him 'going' when not in the tray.  Don't let him have free range of a large area while he is litter training as he can up needed to go Right Now when the tray or trays are just a bit too far away.

I'm not sure if you have a dog now - you say 'had dogs', past tense.  If you have dogs now don't leave him alone with them for some time.  If he runs it could set off a hunting instinct however placid they normally are.

Plan on getting him neutered as soon as your vet will.  That depends where you live and how much he weighs, but you want it done by 4 months it at all possible.  I also have all my cats chipped even though they shouldn't get into the wide world outside my front door as one day they might give me the slip.

Photos are required!

BTW what colour are his eyes?  That might give a clue about his age.

Thank you so much for the advice Stefan for the advice, that puts my mind at ease, and Oriental his eyes are green with a blue ring around the outer edges. I do have 2 dogs (a pit/lab mix and a chihuahua/something mix) but I try to keep them separate so they dont scare/bombard the kitten.

I more than definitely plan on getting him to the vet as soon as we can, but the timing is a bit off. I have to call in and see if they can get the tests done and pay them in a week, or wait a week (going crazy) to have him tested/checked.

Just a few pictures that i already have of him =)





The tablesppon is just a bit longer than he is =)

He's probably around 8 weeks old, just underweight. He doesn't have the stubby baby tail that they have under 6 weeks, so he's at least older than that. He's old enough to do all the regular cat things, although you may have to help him with grooming for awhile. Give him a shallow pan with non-clumping kitty litter in it, and put him in the litter pan after meals, after naps, whever you see him sniffing around, etc. He should get the hang of it pretty quickly. When he grows up he'll need a nice large deep litterbox, but for now you want it shallow and not too big. You'll also want to get a scratching post (a cheap cardboard pad will do for now) so you can start him off with good scratching habits. I recommend keeping him in a smallish room when unsupervised, until he's developed good litterbox habits and is big enough not to get himself squished anywhere.

For food, most canned foods should be fine (check the label to see if it says "all life stages"), but for underweight kittens I prefer something more high-calorie. I usually get Fancy Feast Kitten, turkey flavor. For extra nutrients you can add a splash of kitten formula (like KMR) or goat milk, but at this age it's not crucial. Feed him as much as he'll eat, at least 4 times a day. When he's 4 months old or so you can cut back to 3 times a day. I like to feed a wide variety of different foods to kittens so they don't get picky. Make sure he always has fresh, non-dog-slobbery water available, but cats who eat canned food get most of their moisture from the food and don't need to drink much, so don't be alarmed if he rarely uses it..

He definitely needs de-worming soon, and his first shots (he'll need 3 sets of FVCRP vaccine altogether, and rabies at a certain age). Neutering by 4-5 months (if "he" turns out to be female, spay by 3-4 months). De-worm regularly for a few months (ask the vet for de-wormer; OTC stuff usually isn't very effective and may be toxic). He might need flea treatment (also from the vet; some OTC flea meds are VERY toxic!).

Other than that, just go with the flow. He'll have you trained soon enough .

Omgoodness he's so beautiful! Congrats and how wonderful of you to give him a great home and new start at life

Yes thank you for giving this little guy a home! 

All good advice above, only thing I would add is if he poops outside the box pick it up and put it in there so that he identifies the box with his scent. I don't clean the boxes as regularly for very young kittens- sometimes they need a little something left behind to remind them where they are supposed to go. 

It's hard to tell from the pics but if he still has some blue in his eyes I might guess he's a little younger- maybe closer to 6 weeks. Regardless, he's clearly demonstrated that he's big enough to eat wet food and go potty on his own!